"Grace! Where are you going?"
"Sis Carmen, a customer just arrived, right? I'm going to greet them!"
"Grace, you just started here and you still need to learn to read people, that guy can't afford anything here. Look at his outfit; it's all cheap stuff, he's just here to show off. Do you see anyone else going to him?"
At the entrance of the Armani Flagship Store stood two young sales associates with good posture, the prettier one, named Grace, shook her head at these words.
"See? I've got more experience than you, don't waste your time on things that won't pay off," Sis Carmen advised wisely.
"But... during training, weren't we told not to judge any customer?" Grace hesitated at this.
"We're not judging, if he comes in, we'll serve him warmly, but he's not inside yet, so it's not judging!" Sis Carmen, with her experience, understood Grace's concern and explained with a smile.
"Well, it's just that I haven't made a sale this month, so I want to give it a try." Grace shook her head again and then strode confidently towards the newcomer.
"Hey, Grace! you'll see when you come back!" Sis Carmen watched Grace go, knowing she couldn't change her mind. She figured Grace would return disappointed soon enough.
"Hello, sir! Is there anything I can help you with?" Grace quickly approached Charles, who was browsing and asked with a bright smile.
"Uh-huh!" Charles was surprised that someone actually paid attention to him, he nodded at the young and vibrant sales assistant in front of him. As expected, luxury brand sales assistants were always stunning.
"Do you have a men's section here?" he asked.
"Yes, we do! This is the Armani Flagship Store, dedicated to serving men!" Grace's eyes lit up, she hadn't expected much, but Charles's question sparked a glimmer of hope in her heart.
"Alright! Let's take a look!" Charles said.
He had heard of Armani, the globally renowned Italian luxury brand, famous for its menswear. It boasted nearly ten different lines, with Armani Prive's haute couture being the most famous.
At the entrance, Sis Carmen watched Grace smiling and talking to Charles as they headed towards the store, she was stunned.
"Did I see that right?" she wondered.
"No, it must be that he finds Grace attractive and is just putting on a brave face, yes, that must be it!" With that thought, her jealous heart calmed down and she managed to smile again.
"Welcome to Armani!" she said, hiding any disdain she might have felt for Charles.
"Sis Carmen, I'm going in to assist this gentleman!" Grace announced, ready to provide her best service.
Grace beamed at Sis Carmen and then led Charles inside. "This way, sir!"
"Alright!" Charles nodded and walked in calmly, showing no signs of nervousness.
The luxurious store was filled with all sorts of high-end items, the decorative lights above made the interior very bright and the wooden walls were adorned with various fashionable outfits.
"What would you like to see, sir?" Grace asked warmly, her smile welcoming.
"Bring out your latest collection for this year," Charles said casually.
"Of course! Please, have a seat in the lounge area while you wait."
Grace was thrilled to hear Charles's request, maybe today she could finally break this month's zero sales record.
"Sure," Charles replied, heading straight to the lounge area. Being a high-end brand, the store naturally had a comfortable space where guests could enjoy a relaxing afternoon tea.
Meanwhile, Sis Carmen kept a close eye on Charles, to her, he seemed to be putting on a show and she couldn't wait to see his embarrassed face when it came time to pay.
It wasn't long before Grace returned with a few pieces from the latest summer collection.
Charles took the garments into the fitting room and began trying them on, one by one. Armani, known for its luxury men's line, certainly didn't disappoint in terms of style.
After trying on several outfits, Charles was quite pleased. "Wrap all these up for me!" he declared.
"Sure thing!" Grace replied, unable to hide the smile spreading across her face, not only had she broken her zero-sales streak, but her commission for the month was also going to be thousands dollars.
"Oh and get me some lounge-wear too!" Charles added, turning to Grace again.
"Of course!" Grace quickly turned around to fulfill his request.
Charles then proceeded to browse the entire store, picking up anything that caught his eye without a second thought about the price, however, Grace's smile began to fade.
Watching Charles call for more items to be packed up, she hesitated, unsure whether to speak up.
"Yes, wrap that one too!" Charles was in high spirits, ordering anything that looked good to be wrapped up, covering all seasons from spring to winter. He even selected various belts, wallets and shoes to match every season.
"Sir?" Grace finally couldn't hold back any longer and called out to the jubilant Charles, as she glanced at the mountain of boxes piling up at the counter, her face turned pale with worry.
Deep down, she regretted not listening to Sis Carmen's advice.
Even if she was slow on the uptake, she could tell that Charles was definitely here to cause trouble. Although no one would bother him, she would certainly get criticized.
The commotion Charles caused had already drawn the attention of the entire store, Sis Carmen was stunned; she never expected Charles to be so bold.
"What's going on?" she asked, looking at Charles' handsome face, she wanted to throw the shopping bags at him, how could he even ask that?
"You..." Charles noticed Grace's hesitant expression and glanced around, realizing that everyone in the store was watching him. He quickly understood.
"You think I'm here to make trouble?" Charles chuckled.
"No!" Grace immediately retorted, then fell silent as she realized her reaction.
"Alright! Go ahead and bill me up!" Charles said to Grace with a smile.He had a bit of a soft spot for this sales assistant; at least she didn't look down on him openly.
"Okay... sure!" Grace sighed in relief and hurried to the counter.
Charles stopped shopping for a moment, looking at the mountain of boxes, he figured he had enough.
He then walked over to the checkout counter, however, Grace seemed to be in a daze.
"So, how much is it?" Charles asked directly.
"Hello, sir, I'm the manager of this store," said a well-dressed middle-aged woman standing next to Grace, who hadn't quite snapped out of it yet.
"Hello!" Charles nodded slightly.
"Do you happen to have a membership card with us?" the manager inquired.
"No, I don't," Charles replied, shaking his head, understanding what she meant.
"In that case, I'm sorry, sir! We don't have any gifts for this purchase," the manager said with a hint of regret on her face, though she didn't show much emotion.
In the luxury goods industry, discounts were unheard of.
"No worries, you do offer home delivery, right?" Charles asked calmly.
"Of course!" The manager gave Charles an approving look, she had been informed earlier that someone as causing a disturbance in the store and had rushed over. However, seeing Charles' calm demeanor, any trace of disdain she might have felt vanished, such composure wasn't something just anyone could possess.
"Alright then! What's the total? I'll pay by card!"
When he said that, everyone except the manager looked utterly shocked, including Grace. This was far from what they had expected.
"What are you all standing around for?" The manager snapped at the cashier, who was still in a daze. y!" The cashier quickly came to her senses, "sir, your total is 1,088,500."
"Charge it!" Charles responded, not surprised but slightly disappointed.
"Round it down to 1,080,000!" the manager suddenly interjected.
The cashier took Charles' card and nodded. "Understood!"
Beep! The payment was successful.
"Sir, your card!" The cashier handed it back with unusual respect.
"Thank you. Please have these delivered to the One Hyde Park," Charles said as he took his card back.
Gasp! Now, no one doubted Charles anymore, even the manager's eyes were filled with admiration.
The women in the store looked at Charles with eyes shining like hungry wolves spotting a lamb, but they quickly averted their gaze. With Charles's status—young, wealthy and handsome—they knew they had no chance. He was out of their league.
However, they seemed to remember something and all turned to look at Grace with envy and admiration.
It was because she had the foresight not to underestimate Charles, as a result, she had become the top salesperson of the month, earning a commission of several thousands of dollars.
Grace realized this too, her face flushed with excitement.
"By the way, delivery in two hours!" Charles added, noting that he hadn't yet seen the house, it would be awkward if the security didn't recognize him.
"Yes, yes! Don't worry!" the manager responded respectfully, assuming Charles would be home in a couple of hours.
"Thank you for visiting!" the manager and the staff chorused at the door.
The scene made Charles feel like he was on cloud nine, instantly becoming the center of attention.
The other sales associates knew Charles must have spent a lot and they all envied Armani.
Next, he needed to check out the watches, he remembered that the Patek Philippe store was in the mall, just not on this floor. He followed the signs straight to the top floor.